Babbling or Building?
The creator of the world became flesh and lived as a man upon the earth. During his time as a man, He lived in a manner which was obedient to God in both word and deed. The significance of His life reached its pinnacle in His sacrifice for the sins of mankind as He willingly allowed himself to be crucified, taking on the punishment of the sins of all mankind from Adam forward. He had been building, not babbling. His sacrifice demonstrated that God is just, merciful, and righteous. Jesus, resurrected from death, following three days and nights in the grave, appeared to many and before His apostles He affirmed the promise of the Father, that the Holy Spirit would come, teach them, and bring to their remembrance all things Jesus had taught them. In this final action, Jesus initiated the building of His Church to all mankind. The gathering of mankind in Christ is the first such action by God since He separated them at Babel. Four things existed during that early period of time following the flood that are essential for men to be recognized as the Church of God today: Cohesion, Communication, Commitment, Creator.
Cohesion is the characteristic of being united. In the era of Genesis 11, the people of the world were united in their mind, speech, and actions. Unity is a beneficial characteristic in relationships and endeavors to accomplish most tasks. Who wants disfunction and division within a family? No one! The result is pain, suffering, and alienation. Not just temporarily, but potentially permanently. Who wants a coworker who sabotages the work of his crew? Objectives are not achieved, tempers flare, injuries, or death are possible. Who wants a Church whose members fight, struggle to hold power, or whose interests are all about self rather than the whole body? Unity is the absence of these troubles. It is the working together with one another in a way that maximizes success. This was the mindset of those people in the Land of Shinar who embarked upon building a tower unto the heavens – that which we call the “Tower of Babel”.
A man dying of thirst wants a glass of water. A “good Samaritan” wants to be able to help. The two of them have to be able to communicate to be able to express and understand the need of the dying man to obtain water. The men of the early world were able to unite because they were able to communicate. They all spoke the same language. They journeyed together and dwelt in the same place. They communicated and agreed upon the goal of building a tower to the heavens so they could have a memorial/marker for themselves. The purpose of this was so they would never be scattered upon the earth. Communication is critical in so many aspects of our lives. Within the Church, it ranks near the top. The gospel is spread by the foolishness of preaching. Faith is built by hearing the Word. Forgiveness/reconciliation is sought and given through communication. Adherence to truth is eased when communication is understood and emphasized as a necessity.
Of course, people can be of the same mind and be able to communicate their concerns, desires, wishes, goals, etc. However, if they are not committed to work to completion what they wish to accomplish or avoid then they will fail. They will not be building, but merely babbling. Building a tower to the heavens is an enormous task. If everyone thinks it is a great idea, but no one is willing to work, then the plan will fail. This was what happened with the Temple wall in Jerusalem when Nehemiah went to rebuild it. For years, the people thought it was a good idea to have a wall… but it wasn’t built. When Nehemiah got the people engaged and they had a mind to work, they built the wall in 52 days. In 70 AD, when the Romans of one mind and commitment built a siege wall around Jerusalem, they did so in 3 days. In regard to the Church, congregations are shrinking and disappearing across America because though everyone has communicated, they want to see the Church grow, few are committed engaging in the behavior to make it so. Their words were just babbling.
Cohesion, communication, commitment, these three attributes make it hard for any plan or effort to fail. However, those at Babel know why they failed. Their plans were broken and the people were scattered because they did not revere the Creator and seek to obey His command to be fruitful and multiply throughout the world. Their desire was to be in one place. They were working against God’s Will. Gamaliel spoke of this same type of behavior in Acts 5 before the Sanhedrin when they sought to stop the apostles sharing the gospel. The bottom line, if it is of God, they could not overthrow it and even worse they would be found trying to fight against God. In the realm of the behavior and attitudes of the Church, they may choose to worship in various manners, teach popular doctrines, and appeal to the masses, but if they are not following the pattern established by God, they are mere babbling and will be judged as lacking by God’s very Word.
The Church Christ established is cohesive, communicative, committed, and reverent to the Creator’s Will. They properly acknowledge the failures of mankind from Adam, to Babel, to Israel, to those playing church today. The yoke Christ put upon the Church is easy and His burden is light. All the teaching we have ever needed is before us in the written Mind of God. Let us in a united mind and effort proclaim the Gospel of Salvation to a dying world so that we might Honor our mighty God.